Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma discussed condition of the road in Dima Hasao With officials.
Another big challenge is to reinstate mobile services in the affected areas, the restoration work of which is also underway, the officials said.
Dering Thaosen, Advisor of the Blue Hills Society, a local NGO, said that Dima Hasao, once infamous for dreaded insurgency, had just begun its journey of development, but the natural disaster has "now pushed the district 50 years back".
"The new broad gauge connectivity and the highways, popularly called 'Mahasarak', had brought some hope for Dima Hasao in terms of tourism and revenue. Businesses had just started to gain momentum and many outsiders were interested to invest. But, the heavy rain and landslides have again brought dark days for us and now the district has been pushed back 50 years," he said.
Asked about the possible causes of the ravages due to landslides, which is not new to Dima Hasao, Mr Thaosen said: "One of the biggest reasons for this scale of destruction was haphazard construction work for the broad gauge and highways, which resulted in damage to the environment." "The economy of the district collapsed due to the shutdown of road and rail communication. It has vast opportunities in the tourism sector and the government should give emphasis on proper drainage systems, as most of the landslides happened due to improper drainage," said Samal Nandi, a Haflong-based businessman.
Aslam Khan, a retired Inspector of Schools, whose grandfather was a contractor in the construction of metre gauge railway in Dima Hasao, said all construction work should be done as per scientific norms to withstand the onslaught of heavy rain in the hill district.
"I am in favour of resumption of the metre gauge, as heritage railway, much to the delight of tourists," Mr Khan said.
Until October 2014, tourists largely preferred the journey of the century-old metre gauge rail, which crisscrossed Dima Hasao in a zig-zag track through numerous tunnels and vintage bridges.
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